Creating A Meal For Friend

[Wiggy75]

Greetings,

A dear friend just had a baby and I'd like to ease her burden by making some meals for her and her family as they adjust to life with a new baby at home. Her oldest daughter is recently diagnosed with Celiacs, and I have no idea what is appropriate to make. I know being newly diagnosed, the little girl is quite frustrated with the fact she cannot share meals with family and is having some issues at school with kids noticing she has to have special treatment in the lunch room, etc. so I really want to make a meal she can eat as well. Her mom has said she doesn't mind if I make a meal for them and she would make a separate meal for her daughter, but that doesn't seem very relaxing to a family with a brand new infant.

Any help you all could give me would be great. My friend pointed out how to read labels, etc., but I am afraid I would miss something. Could I do something like grilled chicken, a vegetable and rice? What are some other options I have?

Thank you so much.

Jen

[Generic]

This is very thoughtful of you to do.

Meats and veggies are naturally gluten free. Grilled chicken with veggies and rice sounds great. But make sure your seasonings are gluten free. I use garlic powder, onions powder, and parsley, for seasoning in my rice.

[cam'smom]

Hi, you can grill chicken by just drizzling olive oil and garlic on it and roasting for 45 mins. then steam some veg and rice. I usually leave out spices to be safe, but then I am happy not to eat salt Or you could make shepherd's pie. Again leave out the spices in the mince, rather use fresh herbs to flavour it. And check the label if you use tomato paste - it should just contain tomatoes as the ingredients. Leave the butter out of the mashed potatoes to be safe.

[ek327]

What a thoughtful gesture. Your friend is lucky to have you.

home-made soups can also be a good choice--something like chicken and rice. creamed soups can be made by making rice in chicken broth, cook with extra fluid, then blend it when it is done to a smooth consistency. this makes a nice cream broth without the cream. (though if she can do dairy, you can add some cream for extra yumminess). then use it as a base for whatever cream soup you want to make. we make a nice turkey and veggie cream soup.

ortega toco seasoning is gluten free, as are most corn taco/tortilla shells. my 7 year old daughter loves tostada night at our house. we have a variety of toppings--tomatoes, lettuce, green onions, cheese, black beans, taco meat, sour cream, etc. then each can make it how they like it. emma loves a tortilla shell with mean and cheese, melted under a broiler as a tostada pizza. you can put each topping in a ziploc or glad container (so they don't have to be returned).

[Wiggy75]

Thank you for the suggestions! I love the taco idea. I was worried about using store products b/c in doing research on what to make, I found a HUGE list of ingredients that may contain gluten, but they were big long words I would never remember, so rather than print the list and go shopping from there, I thought I'd check in with folks who are experts at dealing with it. Your suggestions are great and I'll be able to create a few meals for them now. One to eat immediately and a few to store in case of a bad day!

Thanks and keep the suggestions coming! I am so excited to cook for them. Also, if you have suggestions on "brand" items I could pick up, I'd appreciate it. I have 3 children myself, so reading labels at the grocery store will be hard to do w/ them. I think my local grocer has a small selection of gluten free items.

Oh, and can anyone suggest a dessert I could make? Is pudding gluten free? I thought maybe I could make a mock banana creme pie using banana pudding, cool whip and bananas.

Thanks again!

Jen

[kbtoyssni]

Most pudding is gluten-free. At least the jello brand is. I would offer to take the ingredients to her house and make dinner there. She's probably dealt with new cutting boards, wooden spoons, pans, etc, so you wouldn't have as many CC issues to think about.

[purple]

Kraft, ConAgra, Heinz, McCormick, Ortega, Bertoli, Hershey's, S&W, Pace, Blue Bunny, Nestle are just a small handful of brands you can trust to list wheat on the label if it has wheat in the item. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

Some items might be easy to overlook.

Ex: Prego traditional spaghetti sauce is safe but not the meat style.

Some canned chili beans have wheat.

McCormick seasonings are usually safe but I had a package of Chili seasoning that listed wheat.

Moral of the story: Every item has to be checked every time.

I hope you understand about cross contamination in your kitchen.

[purple]

Most pudding is gluten-free. At least the jello brand is. I would offer to take the ingredients to her house and make dinner there. She's probably dealt with new cutting boards, wooden spoons, pans, etc, so you wouldn't have as many CC issues to think about.

Ditto... but becareful of the ones with added things like cookies. Plain is best in everything.

[missy'smom]

Kraft, ConAgra, Heinz, McCormick, Ortega, Bertoli, Hershey's, S&W, Pace, Blue Bunny, Nestle are just a small handful of brands you can trust to list wheat on the label if it has wheat in the item. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

All companies are required by law to disclose wheat on the label. Barley(and ingredients made from it) is not required to be disclosed, and being a grain that contains gluten, it is something we need to know. I don't know the whole list but Kraft is one of those companies that voluntarily lets you know on the lablel if an ingredient is made from barley.

[purple]

All companies are required by law to disclose wheat on the label. Barley(and ingredients made from it) is not required to be disclosed, and being a grain that contains gluten, it is something we need to know. I don't know the whole list but Kraft is one of those companies that voluntarily lets you know on the lablel if an ingredient is made from barley.

Wow after reading tons on here that is the first time I've heard it explained that it's barley that is hidden. I knew wheat had to be written on the labels but didn't know if all companies were following that rule. Thanks! Also I saw your bento boxes yesterday... you are ever SO talented/creative! I liked the heart carrot and the piggies and the variety and the colors and the little boxes and...and...and...

[Mango04]

That's really nice of you. If you like to cook from scratch, vegetables, meat, fruit, rice, cheese, beans and herbs are some naturally gluten-free ingredients you might be able to throw something together with.

[Wiggy75]

I know a little bit about cross contamination, but would my utensils, pots pans, etc., be contaminated even if they have been washed?

[missy'smom]

You can't use cast iron or teflon coated pans. Any plain metal that doesn't have seams and has been scruubed and rinsed well should be fine. You also can't use wooden spoons, or colanders or strainers, as they are impossible to clean completely because they are porous and have tiny holes.

[happygirl]

You are a great a friend

For all - Label reading/company policies/etc:

Open Original Shared Link

and

Open Original Shared Link